Nick's Folly
by Christianna M
Summary: A short story where Nick must find a way out of a fairly sensitive predicament.
1. Chapter 1

Slowly rolling over onto his back, Nick cracks open an eye and immediately closes it. He's had his share of hangovers before, but the throbbing in his head and sensitivity to light tell him this one ranks near the top of his worst ever. Especially when waking in a tent on the hard ground instead of in his nice bed. Back home he could relinquish himself to the softness of his bed and sleep it off, but not this time.

The Barkley's came to Indian Springs for their annual camping trip to enjoy the outdoors and a break from the never-ending ranch work. It was a tradition Tom and Victoria started when they were first married and one the family continued long after Tom's death. Spending the days fishing along the mountain stream and exploring the country-side were Nick's favorite parts of the trip. Although the visit to the logging camp was a close second. A night of music, dancing, and laughter complimented by a keg or two of beer which Nick and his brother Heath graciously helped drain. But this morning, his cotton mouth and queasy stomach tell him he imbibed way more than usual.

The last thing Nick remembers is arm wrestling one of the lumber jacks at the camp. It started with some good-humored joshing about how lumber jacks are stronger and more physically fit than soft living ranchers with their fine meals and fancy beds. "What's the hardest part of a rancher's day?" Nick remembers one man quipping. "Counting his cows while he falls asleep at night!"

Never one to cower to adversity, Nick posed a challenge of strength to show just how strong and hardworking ranchers are. One thing lead to another and soon Nick and another man faced each other across a worn plank table with sleeves rolled up in an arm wrestling match. A smile and a small chuckle escape Nick's mouth at the memory of his sweet victory.

Nick's glorious recollection is quickly interrupted by a soft moan from something or someone beside him. Snapping both eyes open despite the protest of his saturated brain, Nick cautiously turns his head to the side to find a dark-haired girl sleeping beside him. He blinks a few times thinking perhaps his deteriorated state is causing his eyes to play tricks on him. But it is no trick.

Fully awake and aware of his precarious situation, Nick gingerly lifts the blanket the two share - just enough to peek underneath. He breathes a small sigh of relief seeing that the girl is wearing her pantaloons and chemise and his own pants are still secure around his waist. Of course, that doesn't guarantee they spent a chaste night together. But it's better than waking to their disrobed bodies intertwined.

Rubbing his hands over his eyes, Nick silently chastises himself. What the hell did he do? He chances one more look over at the mysterious girl hoping to jog his memory. He looks at her sleeping face, but no recognition comes. He does, however, take note at how young she looks. _How old is she?_ He wonders. _Dear Lord, please let her be old enough!_ Nick prays.

He racks his brain going over the night before. She must be one of the girls brought up from the nearby town for the dance. A sister or daughter of one of the men who work at the camp, perhaps? He danced with several girls last night. Although great dance partners, none of them particularly caught his eye. Certainly not enough to bring her back to his tent for a night of whatever it was they did!

Soon his questions of impropriety fall to a feeling of dread and panic. Mother and Audra are sleeping in their own tent nearby! Oh, the scourge Victoria will lay down upon him when she discovers the guest in Nick's tent.

With desperation setting in, Nick stealthily slips out from under the blanket, grabs a shirt, and exits the tent. Pulling the shirt over his head, he walks quietly across the cold ground in his socks to Heath's tent.

"Heath!" Nick whispers hoarsely at the opening of Heath's tent. "Heath, wake up!"

"Go away." Answers a sleepy voice.

"Heath. I've got a problem and I need your help."

Heath pokes his disheveled blond head through the tent flap. "What kind of problem?"

"There is a girl in my tent." Nick enunciates each word to get his message across while keeping his voice low so no one else overhears.

"If you don't know what to do with a girl in your tent, then you do have a problem." Heath chuckles, starting to crawl back inside the tent.

"That's not the problem." Nick answers rolling his eyes. "The problem is I don't know who she is or how she got there."

"And just how am I supposed to help you with that?"

"I was hoping she might look familiar to you."

"All right. Give me a minute." Heath disappears back into his tent to dress and reappears none too happy with Nick's early morning mission.

As they approach Nick's tent, the flap opens and out steps the dark-haired girl with a blanket wrapped around her. "Oh, Morning Nick." She says with a sweet smile.

"Ah, morning." Nick smiles back trying to act relaxed even though his brain is screaming, _who are you? _"Did you, uh, sleep well?" Nick asks to fill the awkward silence and to see if her answer might divulge a hint as to how the heck she ended up in his tent.

"Mmmm-hmm. Very well. Thanks." She answers with a shy nod and smile. "Oh my, where are my manners, you must be Heath."

"Yes, ma'am." Heath replies politely. "And you are?"

"Emmeline. But everyone calls me Emmy."

"Nice to meet you Emmy."

"I was just headed over to the creek to wash up and get my dress. It should be dry by now."

Nick bites his tongue as questions fire through this head_. Emmy? Emmy Who? Dress? What happened to her dress? _

Seeing his brother frozen in a state of bewilderment, Heath steps in to save the conversation by pointing Emmy to the direction of the creek and saying they will see her later at breakfast.

"Boy Howdy, Nick." Heath comments as soon as Emmy is out of earshot. "She sure is pretty, but a little young, even for you."

"Well, do you recognize her or not!" Nick fires back, eyes blazing with a combination of anger, frustration, and a touch of embarrassment because he knows Heath is right.

"Can't say I do. But then I spent most of my time playing cards last night and I came back to camp before you did."

"Why can't I remember?" Nick squeezes his eyes shut saying her name over and over in the hopes of retrieving something, anything, about her from his brain. "I've got to remember and get her out of here before Mother or Audra find her."

"Nick!" Victoria's voice calls from across the camp.

"Sounds like it's too late. I recommend putting your boots on in case you have to make a run for it!" Heath winks and walks back to his tent imagining Nick's encounter with Victoria and smiling to himself. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Morning, Mother." Nick replies apprehensively preparing himself for the tongue lashing he is certain will follow.

"Morning, Nick." Victoria's answer is cheery and light while placing a quick kiss on Nick's cheek. "Did you have a good time last night?"

Surely his mother saw the girl walk through the camp just now. Why is she not raving mad? Perhaps his mother is putting on one hell of an act in the hope of catching Nick in a lie or incriminating himself. "It was…fine." He finally answers with confusion.

"I know how hard it is for you to leave the ranch work behind but being here… enjoying nights like last night…is good for you."

Normally, Nick would have agreed but this morning, he wished he was riding herd back home instead of navigating his current predicament. Distracted in his own thoughts of escape, he misses the change in the conversation until he hears Victoria ask, "Emmy is such a lovely girl, isn't she?"

Nick's stomach drops. _Not only does his mother know the girl is there; she knows her name! She must have talked to her. What did she say?! _Nick concedes a confrontation is unavoidable, and he might as well get the whole mess out in the open.

No stranger to Nick's moods, Victoria recognizes the change in her son's stance. His normally ram-rod posture and no-nonsense gaze is replaced with averted eyes, a bowed head, and a sheepish look. She's seen it on her middle son several times through the years to know he did something he is ashamed of.

"Mother, I…" Nick starts and stops, searching for the words to begin the confession of his indiscretion.

Victoria puts a hand on Nick's cheek, saving him the embarrassment of verbalizing it to her. "Oh, Nicholas, you don't have to tell me. I may be an old woman, but I'm not naïve. I know what goes on late at night. That's why I Audra and I left the celebration long before the music stopped."

Nick's eyes snapped up to look at his mother's understanding smile. _Just what does she know?_

"Well, I'd better get breakfast started." Victoria pats Nicks on the shoulder and turns toward the creek and cooking fire.

All Nick can do is stare and watch his mother walk off with a joyous gait and wonder, _what in the world is going on? This cannot be happening. Maybe I'm not really awake. Maybe I'm still sleeping, and this is some strange drunken dream. Yes, that must be it._ At a loss of what to do, Nick heads back into his tent to lie down, close his eyes, and hope he awakes to a world that is right again.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick had barely closed his eyes when a rustling sound came from the tent entrance.

"What the devil!" Nick exclaims propping himself up on his elbows to see Emmy crawling into the tent and dropping the blanket from around her shoulders.

Nick looks away but not before seeing all he needs to fill his mind of impure thoughts and shame. How could he have taken advantage of this girl!

Emmy stares wide-eyed at Nick clutching a dress in front of her. "Sorry Nick. I didn't know you were in here. I…ah...my dress is dry."

Trying to look at anything but her, Nick awkwardly excuses himself and leaves the tent, allowed her to dress in private.

Outside the tent, Nick berates himself while pacing back and forth. _What_ _is wrong with me! I've never drank so much that I couldn't remember… _And then it hit him. She would be coming out any minute. _What should I do?_ _Play it off as a casual encounter? What if it meant something to her? How do I get out of this without destroying her? _

"I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'm sure you're plenty tired after last night."

Nick turns in surprise muttering something about it being ok, even though this whole situation is definitely not OK!

"So…" Nick begins rubbing the back of his neck. "At the lumber camp last night, I drank a little too much of that home brew and well, uh, you see, some of the details … are a little fuzzy. I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me?"

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

Nick plies her with questions about the dance, trying to reconstruct the events that led to sharing his tent, but nothing jogs his memory or leads to an explanation.

"I, ah…" Nick looks away struggling to find a way to say what he needs to say without hurting the girl. "See, Emmy you are a nice girl, but I think I may have made a mistake last night..."

Emmy cocks her head to the side in confusion. "What do mean?"

"If you don't mind me asking. How old are you?"

"I'll be sixteen month after next." Emmy replies just as sweet and innocent as ever.

Sixteen! Nick was sure he'd die right on that spot. From a heart attack or a bolt of lightning, he wasn't sure. But either way, he deserved it.

Her smile quickly fades to an expression of disappointment. "Nick, I know you drank a lot last night but…well, you're acting like you don't remember me."

And there it was: the truth.

Emmy's disappointment turns to indignation. "Nick Barkley! Of all the… I can't believe we spent all that time together… the good time we had…" she huffed. Nick knew he deserved everything coming; the words, the anger, a slap in the face even.

"You were so nice. Treated me like I was special. And now…" Her voice began to tremble. When he sees the tears in her eyes, he crumbles and reaches out to her.

"Emmy. I am so sorry. I…" Nick pulls her into his chest, listening to sob choked words.

"I followed you everywhere… a whole summer…"

It took a minute for her words to register and his brain to respond. _Wait, what? An entire summer?_

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story so far. All will be explained in the next and final chapter! **


	4. Chapter 4

Gently placing his hands on her upper arms, he pulls Emmy away from his chest enough to look her in the face.

"What you are talking about?"

Seeing the confusion on Nick's face, Emmy gathers her composure and retells the story of the summer she spent at the Barkley ranch. Her father worked for Tom a few years tending the orchards. One summer, her father broke his leg. When Victoria heard, she knew the widowed man couldn't provide for or take care of his young children, so she insisted Emmy and her brother stay at the ranch for a few months. Emmy was five and her brother almost eleven. Just a couple years younger than Nick, her brother and Nick became inseparable.

Memories began flooding Nick's mind. A girl in a brown dress, running…no, chasing him and another boy. Two braids swinging behind. Perched on a tree limb, hiding from a freckle-nosed pipsqueak. Buried under hay in the hayloft, trying not to give up their location even though the hay threatened to make them sneeze. He never understood why the girl insisted on following them everywhere instead of staying inside with Audra and her dolls. What a fun summer he had with Roland. He hadn't thought of him in years!

And then the memories connected. Roland's sister, the pesky little girl who wouldn't leave them alone. "You're M!" It came out as more of an exclamation than a question. "I do remember you!"

A smile rose on Nick's face, remembering those boyhood days. Nick dubbed Roland 'R' the first day he arrived and subsequently his little sister M. Nick didn't remember why, but the names stuck and everyone called them R and M the whole summer. Nick and R became fast friends. In addition to their love of horses and the outdoors, they shared a mischievousness that got them in trouble a few times.

"Gosh, last I heard, your brother started his own spread toward Bakersfield."

Her tears now dry, Emmy caught Nick up on the latest news of her brother. Pleased to hear his buddy was going well, Nick still didn't know what happened the night before.

"So, how did you end up here?"

"Mrs. Barkley kept in touch with me over the years. When she heard I moved to Indian Springs to be a teacher, she asked me to come to the logging camp party. I rode up with a couple families I know in town."

That explains who she is and how his mother knows her, but it certainly doesn't explain how she ended up in his tent without her dress on.

"You said something about your dress. It being dry…" Nick waves his hand trying to remember the exact words she used earlier. "What was that all about?"

"Mrs. Barkley and I were talking last night when a man stumbled in front of me, splashing a full mug of beer down my dress. She brought me here knowing everyone else would be at the dance and I could wash out my dress in the creek. It got late, so Mrs. Barkley insisted I stay and said I could take your tent, knowing you were staying at the logging camp all night."

"Staying at the logging camp?" Nick replies. "But I didn't stay… I mean I came back here… and slept…" An awkward silence falls when Nick realizes he is pointing at his tent.

Quickly putting his hand in his pocket, Nick knows the question he must ask even though he is terrified of the answer.

"So, I didn't…" how can he say this delicately, "wake you last night?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Of course, I sleep so hard, it'd take a stampede to wake me. If you came by you didn't wake me. I do hope you found somewhere to sleep last night."

_Could it be? Could it really be nothing untoward happened with this sweet innocent girl?_

"Uh, well. I saw you in my tent and… bunked over there with Heath" replies Nick still a bit dumbfounded.

"Oh good. Then, shall we head to breakfast?"

With a rush of relief, Nick offers his arm to escort Emmy to breakfast.

A simple misunderstanding of circumstances and words. It certainly would not be Nick's last folly, but it will certainly be one he keeps to himself!

The End

**I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it. I can totally see Nick bumbling through a sticky situation he's managed to get himself in. Although, I see it probably occurring mostly within view of others so they can laugh at his expense!**


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